Just recently one of this blog’s very best friends, Majii, told us that her “dear brother”, who lived with her, was very ill, but she was hopeful that he would get better.

So sorry to pass this on, but Majii contacted me today to say that she lost her beloved brother last night.

His condition worsened while she was at her last surviving uncle’s funeral in Alabama. She and her daughter are heartbroken.

Majii: “I wanted to let you and the community know what is going on since I will not be posting any comments this week. Thanks for the support you and the community members have given me over the last few months.”

Love and strength to you and your daughter, Majii, may your brother rest in peace.

President Obama ordered special honors in memory of Frank W. Buckles, the last surviving U.S. veteran out of more than 4.7 million who served the nation during World War I. Buckles, who enlisted in the Army at the age of 16, died Sunday at 110 at his farm in West Virginia.

Here is what the President proclaimed:

“As a mark of respect for the memory of Army Corporal Frank W. Buckles, the last surviving American veteran of World War I, and in remembrance of the generation of American veterans of World War I, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, that, on the day of his interment, the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset on such day. I further direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same period at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.”

Paul Krugman: I don’t watch cable news, or actually any kind of TV news. But I gather that there’s a virtual blackout on the huge demonstrations in Wisconsin, except on Fox, which portrays them as thuggish and violent.

What that makes me think of is January-February 2003, when anyone watching cable news would have believed that only a few kooks were opposed to the imminent invasion of Iraq. It was quite spooky, realizing that hundreds of thousands of people could march through New York, and by tacit agreement be ignored by news networks whose headquarters were just a few blocks away.